W.D. & H.O. Wills The Three Castles Tobacco
(2.80)
There's no sweeter tobacco comes from Virginia & no better brand than the Three Castles.
Details
| Brand | W.D. & H.O. Wills |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Shag |
| Packaging | 92 grams tin, 50 grams tin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable to Strong
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Extremely Mild (Flat)
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 2018 | Very Mild | None Detected | Mild | Very Pleasant |
Three Castles may have been the best handrolling tobacco ever produced. Incredibly subtle, it wasn't for every taste. Its exceptional mildness was the result of some kind of esoteric method of water treatment borrowed from the ancient Chinese; I cannot recollect the specifics, but I believe the leaves were soaked before being cured, removing a fair amount of nicotine.
I do still remember the scent of the tobacco, though: hay and brown sugar, a vague whisper of lemon. Room aroma was kith and kin to a classic straight Virginia: something like baking bread, and very acceptable to most non-smokers if rolled in a good quality hemp or rice paper. It was a fairly damp tobacco; Imperial cased it with humectant before tinning.
A knockout smoke, all told. When I started smoking it I'd tried nearly every handrolling tobacco I could find. Three Castles was entirely unique; it burned cool, was easy on the lungs, and had a marvelous flavor. If I ever smell it burning again, I'm going to have one whopper of a Proustian moment.
Nothing like it, before or since. A few come close, though, most notably Auld Kendal Gold, if you can find it in the original fine shag cut. Stokkebye Danish is a solid choice, too, although it's a little more citrus forward. McConnell Special London is the wild card: sometimes it overwhelms with citrus, sometimes it's more even-tempered, like Three Castles.
A brand revival was attempted a few years back. Disaster. If some enterprising person could bribe the original formula out of an old Imperial employee and resume production in the U.S., they'd have a hit on their hands.
I do still remember the scent of the tobacco, though: hay and brown sugar, a vague whisper of lemon. Room aroma was kith and kin to a classic straight Virginia: something like baking bread, and very acceptable to most non-smokers if rolled in a good quality hemp or rice paper. It was a fairly damp tobacco; Imperial cased it with humectant before tinning.
A knockout smoke, all told. When I started smoking it I'd tried nearly every handrolling tobacco I could find. Three Castles was entirely unique; it burned cool, was easy on the lungs, and had a marvelous flavor. If I ever smell it burning again, I'm going to have one whopper of a Proustian moment.
Nothing like it, before or since. A few come close, though, most notably Auld Kendal Gold, if you can find it in the original fine shag cut. Stokkebye Danish is a solid choice, too, although it's a little more citrus forward. McConnell Special London is the wild card: sometimes it overwhelms with citrus, sometimes it's more even-tempered, like Three Castles.
A brand revival was attempted a few years back. Disaster. If some enterprising person could bribe the original formula out of an old Imperial employee and resume production in the U.S., they'd have a hit on their hands.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 04, 2023 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
In all honesty- a cool chap from near Glasgow, who is now one of the World\'s oldest, well respected, Techno/ House Music DJs, introduced us to this in the early 1980s.
It was never for pipes. It was rolling tobacco (though in the early 20th century, there were cigarettes available). I suspect there is confusion, because the round, vintage tins resemble pipe tobacco packaging.
It was, to be frank, as he discovered, the ideal vehicle for the rolling of 'joints'- 'spliffs', containing light coloured hashish.
I absolutely do not support, or in any way encourage, the use of recreational illicit substances. I am including this review as a little footnote in the history of tobacco.
It was mild, easy to smoke, easy to handle and roll with, therefore suitable for anyone whose primary interest in 3 Castles, was for this sort of vehicle.
It had to be used sparingly for ideal effectiveness
It was useful because it burned consistently and evenly, at an ideal pace, thus giving the illicit embers time to fully combust, and not 'bomb' the smoker with little flesh burns and holes in their attire.
Was cheaper, smoother, and healthier, than breaking down normal cigarettes for the purpose.
Smoked as a normal roll up, it was unlike any other available in the UK. Sweetness predominated. It was acrid, like singed rope, but in a way I found pleasant, and not overwhelming.
It was fairly easy on the throat and lungs. The room smell was acrid and sweet. That was basically the whole character of it. Acrid and sweet. Mild and pleasant. If you liked that, there was nothing similar, easily available. I missed it as a rolling tobacco when it ceased production.
Not something I'd put in a pipe, unless I'd run out of rolling papers and needed to keep up my nicotine level.
Thankfully I was cured of cigarette addiction, and grew out of the more exotic substances, many years ago
It was never for pipes. It was rolling tobacco (though in the early 20th century, there were cigarettes available). I suspect there is confusion, because the round, vintage tins resemble pipe tobacco packaging.
It was, to be frank, as he discovered, the ideal vehicle for the rolling of 'joints'- 'spliffs', containing light coloured hashish.
I absolutely do not support, or in any way encourage, the use of recreational illicit substances. I am including this review as a little footnote in the history of tobacco.
It was mild, easy to smoke, easy to handle and roll with, therefore suitable for anyone whose primary interest in 3 Castles, was for this sort of vehicle.
It had to be used sparingly for ideal effectiveness
It was useful because it burned consistently and evenly, at an ideal pace, thus giving the illicit embers time to fully combust, and not 'bomb' the smoker with little flesh burns and holes in their attire.
Was cheaper, smoother, and healthier, than breaking down normal cigarettes for the purpose.
Smoked as a normal roll up, it was unlike any other available in the UK. Sweetness predominated. It was acrid, like singed rope, but in a way I found pleasant, and not overwhelming.
It was fairly easy on the throat and lungs. The room smell was acrid and sweet. That was basically the whole character of it. Acrid and sweet. Mild and pleasant. If you liked that, there was nothing similar, easily available. I missed it as a rolling tobacco when it ceased production.
Not something I'd put in a pipe, unless I'd run out of rolling papers and needed to keep up my nicotine level.
Thankfully I was cured of cigarette addiction, and grew out of the more exotic substances, many years ago
Pipe Used:
none
PurchasedFrom:
Newsagent/ Corner Shop
Age When Smoked:
1980s
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